


Done Nothing (And Caught Anyway)

by lextenou



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Anachronistic, Casual misogyny, Corporate Espionage, F/F, Inspired by Old Time Radio, Magic Based Steampunk, Swan Queen Big Bang, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-17 09:12:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5863276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lextenou/pseuds/lextenou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina Mills has tried to hold a strong grip over her company and all that has come across it, including numerous attempts by Robin Locksley to assail her defenses. She succeeds - until Emma Swan intrudes. All too quickly, what keeps them apart is cast aside and Regina must determine what is left.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Done Nothing (And Caught Anyway)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThruMidnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThruMidnight/gifts).



> Written as a partner to the amazing picture which accompanies this story. Regina and her father do speak some Spanish in this story. This was inspired by being entirely far too into old time radio shows.
> 
> Reinita: my little queen  
> Morenita: my little dark haired one

"Reinita, the reports have come in from the rest of the Eastern branches." Henry Mills frowned at the telefax in his hand. "Sherwood Investments is claiming hostile takeover threat by a third party, and is requesting a delay in current fulfillment contracts in exchange for not liquidating their current assets." He raised an eyebrow at the quote from their lead in Nottingham referencing heavy handed subtext regarding collaboration. If it weren't par for the course, he would be offended on his daughter's behalf at the crude intimations.

 

"Cancel the contracts and shift them to Gregor Holdings Incorporated. I’ve no time for his petty games any longer." Regina Mills tapped at the viewscreen of her comm panel before slapping the brass frame in frustration. A shower of sparks arced and drifted from the brass frame in her characteristic purple, and she flinched as the sparks danced on her cherrywood desk before dissipating into the aether. She didn't want to have to re-power the damned comm because her percussive maintenance had freed the contained energy. A single finger was leveled at her father. "You know this is just him trying to corner me into accepting his proposal."

 

Henry raised his hands, a soft smile pre-emptively taking the sting from his words. "I know, morenita. Do not let his scheming trouble you." He stepped forward and placed the telefax on her desk to allow her to review the report more fully and craft her formalized response. "You have always done right in refusing his manipulation. Your mother would be proud, God rest her soul."

 

Regina’s lips tightened in a firm line. It had been many years hence since the late, great Cora Mills had passed into the world beyond and still her shadow remained broad over Regina’s every move. Though not deliberate on his part, somehow, her father and chief advocate on the Board of Directors for Mills Global managed to raise the exact temperance she needed. In many ways, since she’d taken on the role of CEO and chief factotum of the company, Henry Mills had served to provide conservative balance to his daughter’s impetuous nature. Though not always heeding his advice - as evidenced by the existence of the recently minted Black Guard Protective Services - times were many when Henry’s thoughtful and calm advice did much to affect Regina’s decisions.

 

It was in large part the reason why she had supported his bid to transfer to the Board when she had taken over as CEO. Her promotion was by no means unexpected. Having worked her way up through the company, Regina had seen all manner of machinations. It troubled her little when others thought she’d worked her way to her position through sheer nepotism. A single session of Cora’s infamous scathing dressing downs would have served to disabuse any of them of the notion. Fortunately for the loudest theorizers, their positions were a bit too far down the line for Cora to take such a vested interest in their career.

 

The same could not necessarily be said for Regina. Her mother’s management style had done much to shape her own thoughts on how to guide those she led, and her father helped her to bring her vision to fruition. Heavy investment in corporate infrastructure had seen Mills Global rise to a quiet behemoth with beyond solid footing to handle any opposition.

 

Any opposition shy of Sherwood Investments. Regina’s finger traced over the rounded brass buttons on the teletype attached to her viewscreen. The Q was slightly nicked on the upper left edge and caught slightly on the pad of her finger. It had probably been a result of a previous fit of pique, and she ran her finger over it again.

 

Whilst in college, Regina had a single run in that caused her any measure of trouble. For the most part, being both a full time student and a full time employee under her mother kept her from having time for trouble. Exception was in a single course on greater economics. Robin Locksley, now head of Sherwood Investments, had been present. The happenings were beyond insulting to her sensibilities regardless of the amount of time that had passed.

 

The circuitous motion of her finger paused. Regina lifted her steady gaze to her father. “Audit our stockholder standings. I refuse to be caught unawares.” She laid a palm flat against the smoothly polished cherrywood of her desk, the sputtering whale oil lamp sending flickering shadows across the determined cast of her face. "I will destroy him."

 

\---

 

"Black Guard Protective Services is proving...troublesome." Marco leaned back in his wide leather chair, his hands steepled before his neatly trimmed goatee. From the gloss, he'd taken the recent step of dying the grey from it, darkening it to appear near black. His delicately tended mustache and shrewd, piercing gaze caught just enough of the flickering light to produce a Mephistophelean effect. He stretched out one bony finger to his son. "Ideas."

 

August Booth shifted in his seat, the sweat beading beneath his collar. He cleared his throat and laid an envelope on the broad, black marble table before him. "I have a plan here from one of our Division managers. With some additional details, it could work."

 

Marco pulled his finger across his lips, his dark gaze never lowering from that of his son. "And which of our Division managers might this be."

 

August's left eye twitched. "Emma Swan."

 

"Emma Swan." Marco tapped his fingers against the desk. "I see."

 

The words rushed from him, falling over themselves to be heard as quickly as possible. It might be futile but he had to throw his approval wholeheartedly behind this. "It's a good plan."

 

"By a woman." Marco's flat tone betrayed no further thought on the matter. August required nothing further to know precisely what the problem was.

 

"You know that's irrelevant." He tried, same as he always did, to keep any vindictiveness or fierce protection from his tone. Betraying emotion to the Puppetmaster never boded well.

 

"That is never irrelevant." Marco turned in his seat, facing the large windows. "Enact the plan." August released a relieved breath. Their gamble had worked. His legs tightened, ready to allow him to pull his chair back. "Change the name on it to be yours." August winced and stood.

 

"Yes, sir." He moved quickly to the door, hoping to escape before anything further rose to beleaguer his conscience.

 

"Boy."

 

The single, sharply spoken word from his father drew August up abruptly. He turned, his stomach roiling. "Sir?"

 

A single bony hand waved a lazy circle in the air. "Fire the girl." A hint of emotion had finally emerged, a bland boredom that spoke more to how little the man cared for anything other than his own ends than the lifetime of indoctrination he had suffered upon his son.

 

August stood upright and bowed, once. "As you say, sir. It shall be done."

 

Marco did not turn around to watch his son leave.

 

August strode to the stairs and gamboled down their spiral structure with a heavy wooden tread. The folder in his hand burned hotly and he glared at it, hatred coursing through his veins at what it represented. He shoved the door open harshly and caught it before it could slam. His step quickened as he made his way to the office he sought.

 

"August." Emma Swan stood to greet him as he entered, her face impassive.

 

"Operation Scorched Earth."

 

Emma's eyebrow twitched and she nodded. She reached below her desk and pulled a small satchel free. "Rendezvous point Alpha."

 

August nodded once, shortly. Emma smirked.

 

"Good hunting."

 

\---

 

Regina stretched her arms high above her head with a deep sigh. Reviewing the exact verbiage in the report from her Nottingham lead gave her much pause. It would not do for her to act rashly, especially in a moment when everything of her legacy remained so heavily and deeply tied with Sherwood Investments. Not for the first time, she cursed her mother's short sighted decision ages ago to prostitute her daughter to finalize a deal. It would have been one thing for her to agree to a merger of her free will. To be treated as mere chattel served her ends naught and she refused to play into such machinations.

 

Unfortunately, it had not been revealed until after Robin had intruded upon her with his duplicity. He had sufficiently hoodwinked her into a brief series of dates. His rising pressure against her refusals for further intimacies coupled with a his banal nature proved enough for her to cease their assignation. He had not begged, nor had he threatened, accepting her word at the time with a simple nod of the head and a jaunty farewell. Her surprise had been beyond words when she had discovered the charming and scruffy suitor from her economics course chatting with her mother over cocktails.

 

Intervening years had given Regina additional perspective. She could not fault her mother for falling subject to the scheming boy's wiles. He had spun a pretty tale indeed, filing her mother's ear with tales of Regina's devotion to him. It had not been countermanded by Regina's own tales of her time. In truth, she had told tale of his attendance on her over a dinner, unwittingly playing into his machinations. It was not until Cora's signature had been witnessed, investing the schemer with a stake in her daughter's future, that the truth had been witnessed to the duped women.

 

It had taken some doing to mitigate the issue. Regina did not seek to much dwell on the memory when she could help it. The pall of that had only been outweighed by the unwavering support of her father. It had been through his intervention in the first place that she had not been whored to one twice her age whilst still in grade school. After that early incident, however, her mother had not sought his counsel a second time, which resulted in Regina's current headache.

 

Of all the people to hand over a ten percent interest to, Robin Locksley was not one that would leap to the forefront. Additionally, neither was he one whom would be immediately thought of as a valid or welcome member of her Board of Directors.

 

In the intervening years since he was sent packing from her presence, Robin had instigated no less than three no-confidence votes in her leadership. His machinations were crafty, however, and never bore fruit at bringing the rest of the Board against him enough to allow for any push against his agitation. Regina rubbed her forehead. This latest move on his part did not bode well for her.

 

It was obvious what he wanted, as it had been from the start. He wanted control of her company and for her to kowtow to him. He desired her, she had obviously felt that from the start, and he had never been shy about making that clear. No matter how many backhanded compliments he threw her way about her dark complexion or her lack of the right kind of spirit, she remained polite and professional.

 

It was beyond infuriating.

 

A soft knock at the door broke her from her rising ire.

 

"Enter." The door swung open to reveal someone she'd expected significantly earlier in the evening. "Graham."

 

The door shut quietly behind the operations head of Black Guard Protective Services before he spoke in somber tones. "It's considerably worse than we thought, ma'am." Graham stood stiffly before her, his hands clasped behind his back. His jaw worked for a brief moment before he ground out the rest of his report. "Miller took more than the project files we'd originally thought." He met her eyes directly. "He took your itinerary and security information for the next month. I tracked him to the Puppetmaster's estate."

 

Regina sighed heavily, her hand dashing through her hair. "Just what I bloody well need."

 

"There's more."

 

Regina glared.

 

"I stayed to trail him as he left. Robin came out first."

 

"Mother grabbing son of a coxswain's goat!" Regina paced across the rugs thrown across the polished parquet floor of her bedroom. She paused midstep and pointed at Graham. "Find me someone new. Get them to me by tomorrow morning." She moved to her home comm panel and pressed her hand against the activator. The viewscreen flickered to life with the brief purple pulse of energy that flowed from her hand, and she quickly brought up the information she required. "I'm changing my departure to tomorrow night. You have until noon to find my new detail." She stopped and looked at him with a measured gaze. "Find Robin's other stooge. Re-vet everyone. I expect regular updates. My father will know how to reach me."

 

Graham dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Thank you, ma'am. The hunt should be completed by the time you reach the Whites."

 

"Find out who allowed this. We cannot afford incompetence." Graham grunted in agreement. His dressing down over the breach in security had come and gone. His penance was the constant work to ferret out the rats, a task his affronted pride demanded be done to the fullest extent. He never should have allowed them to penetrate their defenses in the first place. "I don't care who you find. Make sure they can protect me, and make sure they aren't one of Robin's planted pendejos."

 

"It shall be done." He bowed, his fist clasped to his chest in a salute. "If there is nothing further, ma'am, I shall get started."

 

Regina nodded and murmured a noise of assent, her fingers flying across the teletype to alter her travel plans, her head of security dismissed as her mind leapt across the required logistics brought about by his report. At this late stage, she would prefer to purchase her ticket at the station just prior to departing. Between the leak within her security and the resultant leak of her project plans, they were thrown in full damage control. Her trip to the Whites was subsequently raised in significance from mere overture to desired alliance.

 

While Mills Global retained a hold over the broad expanses of the East, the Whites retained a firm grasp upon the West. Long thought to have been run by Leo White, in recent years it had come to light that it was his daughter, Mary Margaret, who bore the braintrust behind the current expanse of the White holdings. Among these were Gregor Holdings Incorporated and the more elusive Lucas Investments. A contract with either of these, or any number of the other companies beneath the purview of the Whites, would be more than enough to allow Regina to realign her position, poising her perfectly to oust the interloper in her life and boardroom.

 

She had long tried to make any form of headway in the west. Stymied by the distance between them, her operations would collapse before they had a chance to fully form. As frustrating as it was, she had tried a second time after her first failure, tweaking the plan to allow further autonomy. Unfortunately, they had been cut off at the knees by a last minute change in course on the part of the Whites. Regina had recalled her operations and licked her wounds. If she'd been able to succeed in either of those endeavors, she would have been able to force a stock split and increase, freeing millions of shares that would have allowed her to weaken Robin's hold on her company. Instead, she'd been subject to the third and most recent no-confidence attempt by Robin.

 

She would now be seeking a partnership of some sort, at whatever level she could arrange. Any contract or alliance with the Whites would be sufficient to serve her ends, though she hoped for solid footing. Always keenly aware of the formalities brought about by the uptight Eastern culture, Regina knew it would be necessary to adjust her plans and ideas. She might not even get a chance to suggest her ideas until late in her visit. Patience and cunning were demanded in order to allow her to proceed.

 

Long had she admired the acumen of the Whites and their holdings. While not always predictable, many of the plans she observed being enacted by the White holdings displayed a keen business acumen and insightful societal investment. Admirable as it was, the stockholder reports displayed a similarly solid financial footing, positioning the Whites as the undisputed leaders in the West. Similarly, Regina knew her spreadsheets displayed the same for her footing within the East. Were they not separated by the vast expanse between them, she was certain they would have butted heads repeatedly.

 

She typed out her business plans and adjustments to current goals late into the night, her viewscreen casting a warm circle of light against her features. It would not surprise her were she to find firm confirmation that this implied threat on her life was merely one step of Robin's larger plan. One boon she was afforded - he had never been able to play much of a long game.

 

\---

 

Graham entered his apartment and shifted his weight from his front to his back foot. He did not flick the light on as he removed his jacket. His hand reached for his waist, where his dagger remained sheathed.

 

"I would rather you didn't." The light of a match flared and was touched to his lamp, the light catching and rising to reveal a trimly muscled blonde woman leaning back into his recliner. "After all, I came here to talk."

 

"I should believe you?" Graham did not move his hand from his waist, his finger just brushing against the pommel of his dagger.

 

"If I truly wished you dead, you'd be dead." He couldn't fault her. He knew precisely how vulnerable he was to an attack. In part, that was why he had chosen the apartment he had. Only the determined or the foolhardy would seek to corral him in his lair. Which this visitor was remained to be seen.

 

"You wish to speak." Graham twitched a finger. Her eyes tightened at his movement but she did not move. "Speak."

 

"My name is Emma Swan. I have a vested interest in keeping Regina Mills alive." She pointed to a folder that rested on his end table, pulled out to be between them. It also served to slow down any attack either of them might try to make against the other, as it would entangle them unduly. It was slightly too large and heavy to serve effectively as a projectile or melee weapon when the potted plants next to his door and his recliner were far more mobile and effective.

 

He stepped forward, his hand relaxing slightly. Her head tilted to the side, watching him quietly.

 

"I recommend you read that file, with the understanding that it serves my ends far more advantageously to keep your boss alive and healthy."

 

She stood. He stepped to the side, his back angling to the wall.

 

She gave a short, aborted laugh, her eyes cutting over to him with a darkly amused smile.

 

"I've said my piece."

 

She strode past him to the door and opened it before Graham spoke. "I assume I'll have a way to reach you?"

 

She paused and turned her head. She truly did have a striking profile, he noted, though the troubled cast of her features did but little to detract from that. "Read the file."

 

The door snicked shut behind her. Graham turned his dark gaze to the folder.

 

He sighed.

 

Time to put a pot of coffee on.

 

An hour later, his notepad scribbled on, he stood abruptly. He snatched up the file and his notepad. The barest rays of sun peeked out from behind the distant mountains as he shrugged his jacket on.

 

For this, an in person visit to Regina would be best.

 

After all, it was her decision.

 

The dimly wakening rays of the sun brought with them the rising of the city. Windows were knocked upon by the the knocker-ups, banging at the wooden shutters until their clients rose to wave them off. Cafes bustled with the first pots of coffee and the rush of morning pastries and pasties, ready for the clutter of impending clients. Down by the University, students snored, happily ignoring the rush of the waking city. Within the Mills estate, Regina rose and performed her morning ablutions, set to begin the rest of her travel preparations. With any luck, Graham would have completed the task she had set before him and she would also have someone to accept as a new bodyguard.

 

By the time she sat with her breakfast, Graham was announced. She raised an eyebrow. Most efficient.

 

Graham strode in, his day's growth of beard slightly more pronounced than it had been the night before. "Eat something. You look like hell."

 

"Someone's been having me work night and day." He helped himself to his usual breakfast fare, knowing this would take some time, and a decent meal was the least of what he could expect out of this if it worked.

 

"Mmm. Seems to me whoever rides you so hard better make sure you get a well earned rest." Regina sipped at her coffee. "What do you have for me?"

 

"An...intriguing possibility. I believe it would do us well to listen to this one." He slid the folder and his notepad over to her. "Read the dossier first, then read my notes. There's a note at the back to read last."

 

Regina raised an eyebrow and set to reading. Her brow furrowed at the sight of the official letterhead from the Puppetmaster, with a detailed plan for how to get to and "neutralize the threat to future and current goals presented by Regina Mills". It detailed a number of possibilities, including one of breaching her home. Regina flipped back and forth between the pages, ire raising within her at the audacity of this document.

 

Graham sipped at some juice and waited patiently. It wouldn't do to eat a second helping too quickly after the first. It might harm his digestion.

 

"What the blazes?" Regina turned her attention to Graham's notes, reading through how each plan in the memo was deficient in descendingly glaringly obvious ways. Regina's brow furrowed further as she read through the plan on planting a bomb in her office. "What the hell."

 

Graham's notes indicated that the tactics within the plans were classic Puppetmaster ploys, against which they had long ago taken suitable precautions. Regina glanced at him, quizzically. He gestured to the documents.

 

She continued reading.

 

The plan to attack her house, for instance, was predicated on planting a spy within her household staff, "as her lady's maid to gather further intelligence prior to eliminating the target". Graham noted that Regina's lack of a maid would preclude this from being a viable ploy, as any who had read the most basic write up about her life would know. The quirk was one of the traits which displayed the egalitarianism that endeared many to her, yet made her just as many enemies. Additionally, the plan was predicated on her doing little to no checking on any employee who would be allowed within her home - the rankest tyro knew better than to assume such a fact.

 

On the surface, the dossier on how to "eliminate her threat" was cohesive and well thought out. As soon as the threads of its surface was picked at, it collapsed like undercooked pate a choux. The craft that went into creating it was masterful, and were it to be presented to the Puppetmaster, as it no doubtedly had, Regina had no doubt that it would have been accepted and enacted. The man had always underestimated her. In part, that was why she had been so easily able to claim such a sizable chunk of the Puppetmaster's protective contracts so rapidly after founding Black Guard Protective Services. The drafter of this plan had outlined it specifically to cater to the Puppetmaster's weaknesses.

 

Graham rose for a few rashers of bacon and a light pastry. He'd likely have to leave shortly.

 

Regina read the letter in silence as he chewed. The contents of the letter were the impetus that had driven him to yet again eschew sleep and dash to the Mills estate. Audacious and bold, he could not help admiring the woman that had penned it.

 

Regina set the letter down and raised her gaze to meet Graham's.

 

"You met this Swan woman?"

 

Graham dipped his head. "She waited for me in my home."

 

Regina leaned back in her chair. "I'd be more impressed if I didn't know you never lock your door."

 

"When you've nothing worth stealing..." He shrugged with a wry grin. "I need to run a full background on her to confirm, but I think she's training." Regina raised a questioning brow at him. "Advanced enough."

 

Regina paused for a long moment, her mind turning over the possibilities. She pinned him with a decisive look. "Arrange the meet as requested. I'll be calling on Mal's at ten o'clock."

 

Graham nodded and stood. "I presume you'll wish to keep the file."

 

Regina smirked. "Keep anticipating my needs and you'll get a full month off."

 

"Why, ma'am, whatever would I do without you to order me about?"

 

\---

 

Emma rolled her head across her shoulders, the bones of her neck cracking and snapping back into alignment. A series of quick stretches saw her prepared, and she stepped onto the mat, kneeling at the edge and waiting to be called.

 

Sparring remained one of her greatest joys in life. The rush of adrenaline did much to soothe her mind. In many ways she sought balance and the sheer physicality of exertion allowed by sparring provided that for her. Training multiple times per week allowed her to remain at the level she needed, even if her job did not always provide the rush she wished. Her earlier days of training in her life had served her well, and allowed her to form multiple connections of which she would have otherwise been bereft.

 

A flash of a familiar jacket out of the corner of her eye had her smirking at her last opponent. A feint, a grab of the lapels and a full flip later, the bout was over with her judged the victor. She turned to Graham and gave him an insolent wave.

 

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

 

"I can wait." Graham was definitely intrigued by the display he had observed. Further research would be required - he would prefer to spar with her himself to confirm what he had observed - but he was present to ensure something altogether different. "If you've finished, however, we could speak."

 

Emma flung a cloth around her shoulders and patted at the sweat that dotted her brow and neck. She nodded to a corner just far enough removed from the others to not be heard easily.

 

"Are you familiar with the House of Mal?"

 

Emma gave a nod, wiping the last of her sweat from the nape of her neck. "Aye."

 

"Ten o'clock. Don't be late."

 

"And my guest?"

 

Graham's lip quirked. "Welcomed."

 

Emma's lips curved into a grim smile. "Thank you."

 

"Don't thank me. I haven't slept in two days."

 

She let out a wry chuckle. "Sounds normal to me."

 

\---

 

At precisely ten o'clock, a finely liveried servant approached the Grand Dame Mal and whispered in her ear as he presented a silver tray. She raised a brow and let out a tinkling laugh.

 

"Oh, how deliciously droll!" She waved her hand. "Bring them in."

 

Regina sat back in her chair, sipping at her tea. She'd already completed her business with Mal - her new attire would be completed by her return - and had filled the savvy clothier in that she was expecting guests. Given how much she spent annually on Mal's designs, it was little surprise that her presumption did not elicit a batted eye in response. Mal was all too familiar with the machinations of the bon vivants and haut monde that frequented her exclusive establishment.

 

It was part of why she was so well versed in ensuring privacy and discretion.

 

"The Right Honorable August Booth and Miss Emma Swan." The smartly liveried servant disappeared into the background as quickly as he'd appeared.

 

Regina gestured to the seats that surrounded them, greeting them as they sat. "Good morning. It has been quite some time, August." She leaned forward, tapping her finger against her chin. "As I recall, the last time we spoke, your father insisted that you cease your assignations with harlots and tarts."

 

August cringed, rubbing the back of his neck. "The man may have sired me, but he's no father of mine."

 

"Are the rumors true, then?" Regina took another sip of her tea. "You've cut ties with your father?"

 

"I'm afraid so." He chuckled mirthlessly. "After what's going to come out today, that's probably for the best."

 

Mal shifted in her seat, her lips pressed together in a coy smile behind her tea cup. Regina's affected ignorance fooled none of them. "Oh? And what might that be? Some dark clouds on the horizon?"

 

"It seems some incriminating files have been absconded with from the company." August sipped at his cup of tea. "Directly into the hands of the press via an anonymous source."

 

Regina cut her eyes to the smiling blonde that accompanied August. She raised an eyebrow in question. Emma smiled as she innocently replied. "I'm just muscle, ma'am."

 

August snorted and choked on his tea. Emma reached over and thumped him mightily on the back, her voice a caricature of concern. "You should watch out for that tea, August. Seems it might be a bit hot for you."

 

"You're an unmitigated ass, Emma." August coughed his laughter and turned to Regina. "I'm not very good at pretending. Can we speak honestly?"

 

"By all means, August." She leaned forward. "What the fuck did your father do?" She ignored the quiet chuckle from Mal.

 

"Tried to get August framed for murder." Emma's bland tone belied the severity of the charge she leveled.

 

Regina thought back to the plan she had reviewed, the pieces clicking together as the final portion was illuminated - namely, why the proposal was created in the first place. "That's why you made it a shit plan."

 

Emma shrugged. "I've no interest in murder for hire."

 

"Mmm." Regina traced her finger over the pattern on the china cup in her hands. "Which would have left you," she gestured to August, "holding the bag, while he would have gotten out scot free."

 

August chuckled softly, his shoulder raising in a negligent deprecation. "It's not my fault I was ennobled and he wasn't."

 

"At this rate, he'll never be." Regina's silent musing was brought up short by Emma's laconic observations. "There's a lot to be said for the efficiency of the Exchequer."

 

Regina leveled an impressed stare at the sheepishly grinning August. "You cheeky bastard. You knew he bilked me."

 

August reached over and rested a hand on Regina's knee. "I'm sorry I didn't do something sooner. You didn't deserve to take a bath like that."

 

Regina squeezed his hand. "You've done something now." She turned her attention to Emma. "What was your part in all this?"

 

"Emma? Haven't you guessed? She was the brains behind it all." August tapped at his head. "Not as much going on up here as I'd like." He smiled and gestured at Emma. "Her, on the other hand..."

 

"Shut your damned fool mouth before you get me in trouble." Emma's grumbles elicited a short bark of laughter from the man. "I advised him some. It didn't take long to get the lay of the land 'round these parts, and you, ma'am, hadn't started Black Guard Protective Services yet. Puppetmaster was the only way to go. I worked my way up, made friends with heir presumptive after I saw he was headed for a fall."

 

"That took all of five minutes." August shook his head and earned a condescending pat from Emma.

 

"I keep telling you, you are the blindest wannabe journalist I've ever met."

 

"Writer, damn you."

 

"Whatever." Emma grinned at Regina. "He did the idiotic move of actually listening when I talked. Most of the rest of them couldn't tell a tactic from a breath mint."

 

Regina leaned back in her chair, her hands steepled before her. August noted how unlike Mephistopheles she looked, with her luminous dark locks and healthy complexion. "That's why every once in a while there's actually been a successful move out of the Puppetmaster."

 

Emma shifted slightly and opened her mouth to rebut the observation. August leaped in before she could. "Yes. Every single success in the last three years has been an Emma plan."

 

"Interesting."

 

"Mostly because they were vouched for by me. I would have to sign my name to them, removing any mention of Emma."

 

Regina tilted her head, curious. "He was setting you up."

 

"Thankfully, Emma spotted that."

 

Emma coughed lightly into her fist. "I had help."

 

August waved his hand. "Whatever." He turned to Regina. "I have no interest in being in business anymore." Regina quirked an eyebrow but betrayed no further hint of her intrigue. "I want to divest my shares of Mills Global."

 

"I see. And what would you expect in return for such...accomodation?" August's shares encompassed approximately five percent, which in the larger scheme of things might not be such a boon.

 

If she weren't also dealing with the grand schemes Robin was attempting to pull.

 

August cleared his throat. "I think you're in danger." Regina allowed herself a brief head tilt to acknowledge her awareness of this. "I don't think you need more shares. I think you need a bodyguard. I think you need someone that can see plots and will be invested in your health and your future."

 

Regina turned her gaze on the impassive Emma, who watched her with a quiet steadiness.

 

August rushed out the last of his plea. "I want to give the shares to Emma and hire her as your bodyguard."

 

Regina kept her impassive stare on the nonplussed subject of discussion. "I've already a full company capable of that."

 

"They're not Emma."

 

"Indeed." Regina swept a measured appraisal over the relaxed woman. Her lackadaisical posture resembled Graham's just before he leapt into action. The fact that she'd also remained silent and allowed the appraisal to pass unchallenged tossed a point in her favor. "So to clarify, you, August, are personally vouching for the person responsible for ruining your father and his company? And you are recommending her for a job with his direct rival?"

 

"Either way, she's getting five percent of your business and is going to find a way to stick her nose into it whether you want her to or not." August wrinkled his nose. "She's annoying like that."

 

"She is sitting right here."

 

Regina stood, setting her cup down on the low table. She'd liked August the moment she'd met him. It had surprised her mightily when she'd discovered his parentage. Rather stymied her to think that Marco could possibly be his father. She'd liked Graham from the start as well. Robin, she'd had doubts about.

 

It was a small thing, but she'd learned to trust her instincts.

 

And they'd already spoken in regards to Emma Swan.

 

She leveled a steady gaze on the insolent blonde.

 

"Be at my estate no later than three o'clock." Mal smirked behind her teacup. The levels of gossip she was privy to... "And bring your things. You will be living there." Regina turned to August, her fingers gesturing idly in his direction. "I'll be out of town for a week or two. When I return, we simply must get together."

 

August rose, extending his hand to her. "I'll be opening an account with your protective services. I'm pretty sure I've got a target on my back now."

 

Regina squeezed his hand. "Drop into their offices now. I'll have them waive the onboarding fee." With one last meandering appraisal of the finally standing blonde, and then a quick kiss to Mal's cheek, Regina left.

 

Emma blew out a breath and turned to Mal with a resigned gaze. "I'm gonna need new clothes, aren't I."

 

Mal eyed the simple but serviceable and well made clothes that attired the blonde. "Yes." She grabbed Emma's forearm and pulled her over to a clear spot on the floor. "Marcel! Nadia! We have a new client!"

 

Emma pulled her arm back, raising her hands to stave off the already bustling level of activity. "I can't afford it." Behind her, August cackled.

 

"Oh, my sweet." Mal waved her hand dismissively. Her smile did nothing to reassure Emma. "We'll put it on Regina's account."

 

\---

 

With August's raucous laughter as her soundtrack, Emma's initial measurements were completed by the noon hour. She promised to check in as soon as they returned to see what Mal would come up with, and escaped. August's earlier concerns did weigh heavily on her mind. He wasn't wrong. Marco was not known to be a forgiving man.

 

Over his token protestations, Emma escorted and delivered August to the offices of Black Guard Protective Services. She would have liked to have stayed long enough to meet his new escort, but time ran short as it was. She'd barely have enough time to see to her quarters and make it to the Mills estate by the pronounced three o'clock deadline.

 

At precisely five minutes until three, she paid off the cab that dropped her and her trunk at the estate.

 

At precisely three o'clock, Emma rang the bell. The door swung open to reveal -

 

"Graham."

 

"Hello." He held in his hand a dossier, much like the one she had handed him the night previous. Unlike the one the night previous, she surmised this one would contain a full workup on her past.

 

"Did you run the check on Emma Swan or Emma White?"

 

Graham did not visibly react to the name. He was privy to enough of Regina's plans to know where she was headed and why. This complication was one which he did not particularly desire. "Swan."

 

Emma met his gaze impassively. "You should run it on White as well."

 

"You should tell her."

 

"Haven't had the chance yet."

 

Graham tilted his head to the side, watching her for a long moment before nodding. "Make the time."

 

"Have fun with your new client." Emma smiled beatifically. "He's a freshly minted lordling and his father wants to kill him."

 

Graham groaned and waved the file at her. "Drawing room."

 

Emma chuckled and entered the house, her trunk having already been handled by a pair of handy footmen. She managed to spot a passing servant and be led to the drawing room without further issue.

 

Until she walked in and spotted her new charge's father.

 

"Good afternoon, sir."

 

Henry turned from the sideboard and smiled broadly. "Hello! You must be...Emma?"

 

"Yes, sir." Emma entered the room fully and extended her hand to shake his proffered one. "I'm to keep your daughter safe."

 

Henry chuckled. "A job and a half. She's always gotten into trouble."

 

"Hopefully, I'll be able to help keep her out of the worst of it."

 

"That is what I agreed to take you on for." The rich and amused tones of her new charge sounded from behind her. Emma turned.

 

"Hello." Emma's casual appraisal of the smartly attired woman did not go unnoticed. Regina's warmly amused smile did not waver as she entered the room.

 

Henry waved his hand. "I've some letters to write. I'll see you before you leave, won't I, dear?"

 

Regina crossed the room to press a kiss to her father's cheek. "Yes, papi, I will make sure to see you before we leave."

 

Henry smiled at Emma and left. The jovial air left with him, the air filling with a taut anticipation.

 

Emma exhaled slowly and straightened her spine.

 

"I've told Graham, but had not had a chance to tell you. My surname is not my family name." Regina responded with steady look. Emma reached into her pocket, acutely aware that every motion was tracked by deep mahogany scrutiny. "I adopted Swan to allow me to live unperturbed and pursue my career unimpeded." Her fingers ran along the pattern impressed within the ring in her palm. She steeled her nerves and calmly stepped forward just far enough to offer the ring to Regina as proof of her words. "You trust me with your life. It is only proper that I should trust you with my identity."

 

Regina accepted the ring and recognized the crest quickly. She'd been staring at it often enough as of late.

 

"You're a White."

 

"I am."

 

Regina traced her thumb over the signet design, appreciating the intricate and clear work. "You told Graham so he can update your file." She extended her hand, the ring held between her forefinger and thumb.

 

Emma reached out and accepted the proffered ring, her fingers brushing against Regina's. "Swan only shows my professional life. White shows the rest."

 

Regina leaned her hips against the sideboard, her arms crossing over her chest. "You walked away from your inheritance to be a bodyguard."

 

Emma winced, sliding the ring back into her pocket. "There was a stint soldiering first."

 

"You're insane."

 

Emma grinned. "My mother calls it 'sowing my wild oats'."

 

"You could have filled a granary by now with how many you've sown."

 

Emma pressed a hand to her chest in mock outrage. "And all before you've read the fullness of my background."

 

Regina rolled her eyes. "Princess." She pushed off of the sideboard and turned to make herself a spritzer. "I take it that doesn't complicate you protecting me."

 

"No more than it does for you to be protected by me."

 

Regina turned, glass in hand. "Ah, but that it does. We're leaving in," she glanced at the clock, "forty five minutes in order to catch the train." She took a sip of her drink. "We're going to be visiting the Whites."

 

Emma paused for a moment before wryly replying in a laconic drawl. "I'm sure Mother will be happy to see me twice in the same year." She returned her gaze to Regina. "I had no idea where you were heading other than the general 'somewhere west, on a train'."

 

Regina hummed. "And I had no idea you were a White."

 

Emma shrugged. "Coincidence?"

 

Regina smirked. "Happy accident."

 

Chuckling softly, Emma crossed to the sideboard and fixed herself a drink as well. "I've little enough interest in boardroom performances." Regina had remained next to the sideboard. The warmth of her body suffused the air between them, making Emma's hands itch to touch. Long versed at ignoring such urges, she concentrated on mixing her drink. "Just because I can spot the machinations does not mean I wish to be a part of them."

 

Regina laughed softly. "It can be problematic." She sipped her spritzer. "Your rooms will be next to mine. For the foreseeable future, I want you nearby." Her eyes tightened. "I will fill you in on what further you need to know once we are underway and uninterrupted." She placed her glass upon the end table and slipped past Emma, the back of her hand brushing against Emma's hip. "If you are not already packed for our trip, please see to it immediately."

 

A wry smirk was directed at the retreating mogul's back. "As you say, ma'am."

 

Regina paused in the doorway, her hand curling around the darkly finished wood. "Call me by my name. I've no patience for frippery."

 

"As you say, Regina."

 

\---

 

The train, in addition to being one of the greatest innovations their world had embraced, was an unspeakably loud, outrageously shuddering tube of brass, iron, glass and suffused end to end with the magics which allowed its function. The shining mix of colors slid through the brass tubes on their way to their destinations, providing light, heat, running water and the numerous amenities for which the Shadow Zephyr was famous. In stark contrast to the outer volume and vibration, within the train was suffused with soft musics, light fresh scents and cleanly appointed berths.

 

On the platform, Emma leveled a cool glare at the porter. "Berths number one and two. Storybrooke car."

 

"Yes, ma'am." The porter bowed and quickly organized his platform assistants with stowing their luggage. Emma followed behind her charge, eyes tracking over the appointments of the train car.

 

The wagon-lit car would continue along with the train through to their final destination in Storybrooke, while the Arendelle car would split off at Avonlea and head on the Northern Line for its final destination. Emma glanced behind them, noting the passage between cars to allow them access to their club car and the dining car beyond. Though their car was first in the line, and the Arendelle car the last, they would come together at dinner prior to their late night separation.

 

The narrow passageway was just large enough for two people to pass by in close quarters, or for one to pass without touching either wall. The rest of the car was taken with the individual first class berths and shared second class berths. When procuring the tickets, Emma had insisted on having compartments with connecting doors - all the easier to assist should Regina require it in the middle of the night.

 

After all, it wouldn't do to broadcast Regina's private business throughout the train.

 

As they arrived at their compartments, Emma tipped the porter and took over stowing the last of their luggage. As she lifted the final case over her head and tucked it above Regina's head, she caught a whiff of the light perfume that her charge wore. Her fingers slipped slightly before she slid it fully into place.

 

"I trust you've brought entertainment." Regina's cool smirk carried no bite with her words.

 

"For a two day journey I've taken so many times I've lost count? Naturally." Emma rolled her shoulders, loosening the tension that seemed to wish to continue rising regardless of her determination to remain limber. "First, however, I'd like to get the rest of that briefing you promised me."

 

Regina chuckled dryly and reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of wine. She gestured to Emma, who nodded.

 

"I took over running Mills Global after my mother passed a few years ago." The wine burbled into the glasses as she spoke quietly. "My father took his position on the Board of Directors at the same time." She extended one glass out to Emma. Their fingers brushed as she accepted the beverage. "With his advocacy, I've been able to expand on my mother's legacy." Emma clinked her glass against Regina's with a small smile. "But my mother's legacy has not all been business related."

 

Regina took a swallow of her wine and looked out the window to the bustling platform. The whistle blasted, signaling they were to depart in one minute.

 

"While I was in college, my mother arranged for a handover of an interest in the company to Robin Locksley. He'd convinced her we were about to be engaged. Whether it was the ailment that eventually took her or wishful thinking on her part, I've no idea." Emma's head tilted to the side, her hand swirling the wine in it's glass. "I met him in one of my classes and we...had a falling out." Regina stared at the wine in her glass, watching the light vibration across the surface. "He decided he would have me. I decided he was an ass."

 

Emma chuckled softly. "I've found that to be alarmingly common where men of his ilk are concerned."

 

A genuine smile flashed her way before Regina continued. "He's tried to use his interest in my company to force me into sleeping with him." She glared at her wine. "Considering the circumstances under which his first wife disappeared, you'll understand if I'm not exactly eager to be alone anywhere near him."

 

Emma swirled her wine before taking a sip. "From what I understand, that murder was the worst kept open secret of Nottingham."

 

Regina lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug as the train gave a slight lurch and began their two day journey. "Regardless, I cannot allow him to have more of my company than he already does. As it is, he's managed to wheedle his way onto my Board of Directors, despite my attempts to get him out of there."

 

Emma nodded, contemplative. "I see."

 

"His latest scheme is to force our contracts with Sherwood Investments to go into arrears. He thinks he can force me into insolvency and be at his mercy." She chuckled darkly before raising a dark grin to meet Emma's calm gaze. "He has no idea what I'm capable of."

 

"Rather anything you set your mind to, I imagine."

 

With a quiet chuckle at Emma's wry joke, they toasted and watched the scenery pass by for a few moments.

 

Emma broke the comfortable silence between them first. "You're going to see my family for a touch, aren't you?"

 

Regina shook her head, frowning. "I want a business partnership, not a loan."

 

"And you're prepared to deal with rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?" At Regina's confused frown, Emma expanded. "My mother is the sort of woman who can talk to birds and have them help her clean the house."

 

Regina raised an eyebrow. "A useful skill when there's company, I'm sure." She took a slow sip of the full bodied wine, allowing the flavors to blossom on her tongue. "I want to expand my business. I'm diversified, but not nearly enough." Emma hummed non-committally. "Being able to have a foothold in the West will go a long way to strengthening my position, and making all of my companies less dependent on those intent on destroying me."

 

Emma's head tilted to the side. "Moreso than investing more extensively closer to home?"

 

A soft laugh sounded. Regina reached over and rested her fingers against the warm skin of Emma's muscled forearm, the soft touch tracing along an old whitened scar. "Surely you understand the desire to be able to see new sights and meet new challenges."

 

Emma dropped her gaze to the well manicured fingers that caressed her. The simple, neat lines and colors of Regina's nails contrasted with the light cast of Emma's skin. Her eyes raised, a deeply banked fire rising within her. "Indeed I do." Her hand raised and rested against Regina's, her fingers laying along their elegant lines.

 

"I daresay you've found many a challenge during your time." The husk of Regina's voice danced along Emma's nerve endings. The gently callused pad of Regina's thumb scraped back and forth across her arm, tracing the line of relaxed muscle beneath it. The rich hue of her charge's eyes had darkened, sending sparks skittering along Emma's spine.

 

"Madame? Your telefax has arrived."

 

The soft knock at the door served to disrupt whatever was building between them as Regina rose to her feet and answered the porter. Accepting the folder, she nodded her thanks and shut the compartment door. Returning to stand next to her seat, she began to flip through the contents. Emma sipped at her wine. She judged it feasible that the contents of the folder detailed her background as Emma White.

 

After a few long moments as Regina took in the telefax, one eyebrow raised. Emma could not judge immediately whether it was amusement or shock.

 

"You trespassed on a theme park in order to go swimming with a friend?"

 

Emma shifted in her seat, laughing softly. "Not swimming." She grinned unabashedly. "Skinny dipping."

 

Regina's brows raised for a moment before her lips spread in a fiendish smile. "I wondered why you got slapped with a trespassing charge."

 

A deep flush colored Emma's cheeks. "It wasn't for that." Regina didn't speak, allowing her steady gaze to remain firmly on her companion and demand answer. "It was for where my hand was when we were interrupted." Emma raised her hand and wiggled two of her fingers, dark eyes catching the motion.

 

The possibilities ticked quickly through Regina's mind. "You weren't."

 

Emma laughed, raising one shoulder in a shrug. "Her father insisted it was trespassing."

 

"Backwards twit."

 

Downing the last of her wine, Emma stood. Regina leaned back, the folder pressing against her chest. Her hips jutted forward, the curve of the small table beneath the window pressing against her rear and preventing her retreat. The heat of Emma's trimly muscled frame filled the all too narrow space between them. The fabric of her trousers brushed against Regina's as her knee pressed forward to balance her weight against the gentle rocking of the train. Emma's thighs barely brushed against either side of Regina's knee as she stood to her full height. Emma's hand raised and curved slightly around Regina's hip, the calluses of her fingers catching against the fine fabric of Regina's trousers.

 

Regina's breath caught in her throat at the mischievous glint in her companion's eye.

 

"If you'll excuse me, I've some unpacking to do." The soft declaration washed over Regina with impunity.

 

Regina looked up into the eyes of the woman so near to being pressed against her. "Of course." Her voice remained blessedly even, belying the thrum of her nerves.

 

With a smirk, Emma slid away from her charge and left for her own compartment.

 

Regina remained behind, the folder containing Emma's background pressed against her rapidly beating heart.

 

\---

 

Settling into their cabins had been quickly accomplished, and the brief dalliance that had sent her nerves skyrocketing was not been repeated while they saw to their belongings. Their quarters, while expansive by train standards, were decidedly cramped, necessitating much contact between them anytime they occupied the same compartment. Brushed hands and hips became the way of things, their proximity causing much in the way of weighted words that said nothing.

 

Throughout the evening and the following day, Regina's self-control continued to be tested at length by the proximity and teasing nature of Emma's presence. Given her druthers, she was decidedly for a dalliance with the blonde - but could she determine the same from her companion? It would be far too noticeable to simply ask forthrightly, leaving her strung on tenterhooks. The door betwixt their compartments remained open much of the time, allowing them to increase the all too narrow space they occupied. Even so, it was all too regular an occurrence for her to feel the warm callused hands of her companion upon her elbow or side.

 

Were she not so well acquainted with her own desires, Regina would happily have rent any who crossed her path limb from limb. As it stood, the only engagement that she sought remained within the company of the decidedly flirtatious Emma. It served as a boon that they spent their time within the other's company. Having spent much of their first full day of travel intent upon their own works - Regina her business plans and Emma a popular novel - they had thankfully broken from the intimate cocoon of their quarters for dinner.

 

"Madame?" The porter offered the wine to her scrutiny. Casting a seasoned eye over the bottle, Regina nodded. The porter offered the same to Emma, who gestured to her glass with a smile.

 

Regina cleared her throat and took a sip of the deep crimson wine. Emma's trimly muscled form had thus far proved a solid distraction every time it came into her view. The press of strong fingers against her waist or hip was gentle each time Emma had passed by to secure the compartments, driving her to distraction and forcing her to re-read her missives before she'd cast them aside and suggested they dress for the first seating of dinner.

 

"You've been rather trusting of me thus far." Regina set her glass down, her arms resting against the table. "Why?"

 

Emma chuckled softly. "August trusts you. Your people trust you. Why shouldn't I?" Emma reached her hand across the table and pressed two fingers against the back of Regina's hand, a brief skitter of blue-white pulse against her skin raising her eyebrow. Emma's lopsided grin widened. "Besides which, you've yet to lie to me."

 

"All this and still you insist on being a bodyguard?" Regina tallied the subtle display of latent ability alongside the rest of the things that intrigued her about her companion.

 

"'Tis only useful for light shows and determining if people are telling the truth. I can't even power a viewscreen." Emma withdrew her hand, taking up her wine glass. "Definitely comes in handy when I'm trying to track down swindlers."

 

Regina leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow. "Indeed." She cast her eyes over the curl of Emma's fingers around her glass. A soft laugh skittered out of her. "A walking lie detector. I imagine that makes your dating life quite difficult." Regina obscured her amusement behind her wine glass. "It's not like they'd be able to successfully exaggerate their endowments."

 

Emma deposited her glass on the table abruptly, her shoulders shaking in forcibly restrained laughter. Regina watched in satisfied amusement, taking in the sparkle of joy that brightened the room. After a few long moments, Emma calmed enough to speak, gesturing at Regina. "You are evil."

 

Regina raised a negligent shoulder, her smile deliberately innocent. "I like to think of myself pragmatic, honest and rather more regal, thank you." Her finger traced against the cut pattern in her wine glass. "Besides, what use is there pandering? They should be willing to own up to their shortcomings."

 

Emma buried her face in her hands, muffling the laughter that erupted from her. Regina grinned behind her wine glass before leaning back in her chair as the porter approached. "Ah, delightful." Their plates slid in front of them and the porter pulled out the pepper mill. Regina waved him away and Emma shook her head, her smile wide.

 

The delicately sauced dinner suited Regina's tastes divinely. From the enthusiasm of Emma's tucking in, she could see that the other woman agreed.

 

"Eight years in a long time to be guarding others." Regina eyed the rapidly clearing plate of her companion, oddly pleased that Emma showed such a healthy appetite. She could not resist watching the way Emma's lips formed around her fork as she ate. "When will you retire from it?"

 

Emma chuckled around a mouthful of her dinner, clearing her throat with a swallow of wine. "I doubt I'll ever fully retire from it. No matter what I do, some measure of it will involve the same skills I currently use." She raised a shoulder in a shrug, her smile carefree. "I like it and I'm good at it."

 

"So your jacket proves." Regina chewed, her mind turning over possibilities. "Even with you guarding me, you're more retired than not at the moment."

 

"Mmm. Enough." Emma shook her head at her own thoughts. "Worst case scenario, I'm your traveling companion and I get bored out of my skull while you're in business meetings."

 

"Worst case? What would be best case?"

 

Emma smiled, her eyes twinkling over her wine glass. "That would be telling."

 

Regina's eye twitched. "Tease."

 

"For that to be true, you'd have to be invested in what might happen." Emma's head tilted to the side, her lips remaining curved in her perpetual smile. Her gaze turned heated over their empty dinner plates. "Are you invested, Regina?"

 

"Invested? Without seeing a prospectus first?" She gasped in mock outrage. "Perish the thought." The porter returned and whisked their plates away before returning and clearing the tablecloth of crumbs. The offer of a post dinner drink at their table was waved off and she stood. "I've a mind for something stronger. Care to join me?"

 

Emma smirked and followed behind to the club car. Aged scotch, neat, was soon in Regina's hand. Emma nodded for the same.

 

"You've plans for your business, but what of you? Have you plans for yourself?" Emma sipped at the scotch, allowing the rich and varied flavors to spread across her tongue.

 

"I've always considered that something would come along." She laughed shortly. "Considerably better than Robin, at least."

 

Emma smirked. "Wouldn't take much to out do that one."

 

Regina allowed her eyes to cast over Emma's relaxed form. "Indeed."

 

Light conversation and idle speculations danced at the surface of their words as they blatantly took in the other. Regina's smile was slight as set down her empty glass. "I believe I will retire."

 

Emma placed her glass down with an overabundance of attention, her words quiet. "I believe that may be a good idea." Rising to her full height, she gestured to allow Regina to lead the way. They meandered through the train with a studied casualness, until they stood at the door of Regina's compartment. The warm presence of Emma remained just behind her as Regina unlocked her door and slid inside. Emma entered just behind her.

 

The door closed with a sudden snap of the lock as Emma's body was pressed back against it by the force of Regina's gentle touch at her shoulders. Her hands slid up over the strongly muscled shoulders, her fingers entangling with the loose threads of Emma's hair. A knowing smile curved Emma's mouth as her hands formed around the swell of Regina's hips. Pulling the other closer and allowing their bodies to meld together, their lips touched in the first blush of growing passion.

 

Emma's hands flexed against Regina's hips at the touch of the gentle kiss they shared. The barest brush of nicely manicured nails scraped along the back of Emma's neck as Regina sought to pull her closer. All too quickly, their kiss heated when their tongues met. A stifled groan sounded between them.

 

Emma pulled back, her chest heaving with labored breaths. "You realize this is not going to affect one way or the other whether my parents do business with you."

 

Regina paused for a moment, her mind clicking over to understand the import of Emma's words. In a flash, bright fury suffused her frame, stiffening her spine as she shoved Emma away from her. "What the fuck do you take me for, some sort of harlot?"

 

"It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to sleep with me to get on my parent's good side."

 

Regina leveled a pointed finger directly in Emma's face, barely an inch from the infuriating woman's nose. "How do I know you're not trying to get me into your bed to make me more pliable for your ends? I don't! For all I know, you're trying the same thing Robin did!"

 

A low growl emerged from the depths of Emma's throat. "Get your finger out of my face."

 

"Or what?" Regina waved her finger in Emma's face, ignoring the tracking of narrowed eyes. "You're going to tell mommy and daddy on me?"

 

With a frustrated grunt, Emma grasped Regina's wrists, her foot curling around Regina's ankle as she pressed forward with her body. Her foot kicked backwards and out, and combined with the press of Emma's weight against her body, threw Regina bodily into the bed, so thoughtfully made up by the porter while they had been at dinner. Emma followed the descent, landing firmly atop her charge. Regina's arms were pressed flat against the mattress, her wrists trapped by Emma's strong grip. The guiding kick Emma had given to her ankle had thrown her legs wide as she fell, slotting Emma's hips firmly against her own as they landed. The press of Emma's hips against her as they landed drew a strangled moan from her throat, her ire tempered by the transmutation into blatant arousal.

 

"I want you because I want you, not because I want anything from you." Emma growled words were ground out scant inches above Regina, their heated gazes locked.

 

Regina swallowed against the rush of heat that threatened to completely debilitate her higher brain functions. "I'd sooner cancel this entire trip and turn around than use you."

 

Emma grumbled wordlessly, ducking her head to nuzzle against the curve of Regina's jaw. "Don't be foolish." Her hips shifted, drawing a gasp from the woman beneath her. "And don't use me."

 

A deeply guttural moan sounded from Regina's throat. If she wasn't already nearly out of her mind with need, she would be amused by the wantonness that this woman had drawn from her. "The only way I'm planning to use you is as a lover."

 

Dark chuckles sounded from Emma as she released Regina's wrists, her hands sliding down the length of the trapped woman's torso. Regina raised her legs, wrapping them around Emma's hips and pulling her closer. Abandoning further thought beyond the immediate, Regina slid her hands up the line of Emma's taut arms, pulling her companion's head down for a searching kiss. Callused fingertips slid beneath the fine fabric of her shirt, forcing a hitch in her breathing. Hot kisses pressed against the line of her throat as the questing hand slid ever upwards, curving around her waist.

 

"The only thing I'm interested in is discovering just how talented your hands are." Regina's response was stymied by the renewed attentions of Emma's lips against her throat.

 

It was some time before she was able to string together two coherent thoughts and return the favor.

 

\---

 

The mid morning sun washed down over the platform, casting shortened shadows as its slow ascent into the pristine blue sky neared its zenith. Regina stood and stretched, the waist of her shirt rising above the line of her trousers. Bright green eyes tracked the progress of her shirt, burning against her skin with keen interest.

 

She smirked.

 

"Our transport should be waiting." Emma cleared her throat and nodded once, rising from her seat, not bothering to avert her eyeline. "I'll gather the bags."

 

Regina chuckled lowly and set to assisting. As she pulled the bags down from the upper stowage, the long form of a heated body pressed against her back. She closed her eyes at the sensation of full breasts against her back. Her breath sounded from her in a soft admonition. "Tease."

 

A heated murmur against her ear sent a shiver through her. "Only if I don't follow through." The bag landed on the floor with a soft thump. Emma's arm snaked around Regina's waist, turning the woman in her embrace. Her hand traced along the line of Regina's chin, her body humming as Regina's hands slid beneath the hem of her shirt to caress her bare skin. "And I have every intention of following through." Emma leaned in, her nose touching Regina's as she grinned rakishly, her arm tightening around Regina's waist. "Repeatedly."

 

No further protestation or discussion came as Regina's lips were abruptly otherwise occupied.

 

Their travel to the White estate was accomplished with little fanfare and less trouble. The driver's recognition of the errant prodigal had formed the only jolt in their journey, regardless of its expected nature. Emma's deft handling and off loading of the driver's curious glances served well enough to distract and allow Regina to comport herself at the intrusion of reality into the bubble of their interaction.

 

It wouldn't do for the Whites to realize she'd passed the night and much of the morning in their daughter's embrace.

 

She brooded quietly as they wended their way to the White estate, her mind turning over the implications. Emma's long legs were splayed before her, her knee brushing against that of Regina. The contact both soothed and troubled her, reminding her why she was in this predicament in the first place.

 

She had not spoken a mistruth the night previous. In truth, she would gladly scrap all plans she had for expanding into the West were Emma to prove more than a dalliance. Her company alone was worth the lost investment, to say nothing of her deft touch. It would require expansion into a different area of the world - Arendelle had proven receptive to previous missives, perhaps an alliance to the North would be beneficial. The largest issue that weighed heavily in her mind, however, had shifted from that of her company's future, to that of what in blazes she was thinking by allowing her libido to have free reign.

 

"I recommend waiting until she invites you to tea to bring up the idea of a business partnership." Emma's softly murmured words drew Regina's attention to bear on her. "She's not going to be receptive to a word of what you propose until its the right setting."

 

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You still expect me to move forward with that?"

 

"I said it wouldn't help you. I didn't say it would hurt."

 

"You are infuriating."

 

Emma chuckled lowly, her fingers tapping against the back of Regina's hand that rested between them. "And you are entirely far too savvy to risk bungling something of this magnitude. So it was either you bungling, which I can't believe, or it was real." Regina pressed her lips together in a thin line, refusing to acknowledge the truth of Emma's statement. "So. Wait for her to invite you to tea, and try not to make her faint by telling her what I made you do last night."

 

Regina crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "I despise you."

 

Emma's raucous laugh did nothing to assuage Regina's pique.

 

A few moments later, still huffing her anger, Regina was given pause by the gentle touch of Emma's fingers against her thigh. She turned her head, meeting Emma's open gaze. "Whatever this is between us, I'd like to not hide it."

 

Regina's pique fled as quickly as it had emerged, her shoulders relaxing as she slid her hand over Emma's. "I'd like that."

 

Their hands remained entwined until they pulled through the gates marking the entrance to the White estate. The curved driveway was effective at providing a grand tour of the grounds as they pulled up to the main house.

 

The sprawling White estate reminded Regina of some of the decadent estates that dotted the landscape to the South. Cloaked in bright white, the main house stood tall and proud with a wide veranda and a second story balcony that wrapped around the full length of the house. Outbuildings bustled with people, including a pleasantly appointed stable where a large bay was being led in by a groom. Their transport turned in the driveway with deft precision and the driver alighted nimbly, dashing around to the side of the car to throw the door open and place the step down.

 

On the wide porch, a smiling brunette woman waited next to a tall blonde man, each kitted in the casual yet stylish fashion popular in the West. From their stances and position, Regina would have known them as Mary Margaret and her husband David even if she had not familiarized herself with their pictures.

 

"Hello!" The broad smile that accompanied Mary Margaret's greeting faltered as Regina stepped aside to allow her traveling companion to emerge from the transport.

 

Emma stood, her thumbs casually hooked into her pockets. She cast her gaze over the two standing to greet them with a studied relaxation. "Hello, Mother."

 

Mary Margaret looked back and forth between Emma and Regina, her hand reaching blindly to smack her husband's arm. "Emma? You weren't due back until winter!" She rushed down the stairs and took her daughter into a broad embrace. She pulled back and held Emma at arm's length before her gaze cut back over to the quietly waiting woman who had yet to speak. "You were traveling with Regina?"

 

Emma looked over at her companion, her rogueish smile sending nerves skittering along Regina's spine. "I've taken a personal interest in a recent investment."

 

Regina snorted a brief laugh, shaking her head. "Is that what we're calling it now?" She brushed her hair back over her ear, shooting a smirk at her companion.

 

"Would you rather I share what happened on the train?" The resultant glare had Emma laughing before she reached over and pulled Regina into a side-armed hug. Regina's hand slapped lightly on Emma's firm stomach that shook with laughter.

 

Mary Margaret looked back and forth between them for a scant moment before her hands fisted on her hips. "Emma White, you are the most unromantic-" She turned and glared at her husband. "Charming, she is your child when she's like this!"

 

David grinned unabashedly, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "Yes, dear. Anything you say, dear. As my queen wishes, dear." Regina tried to stifle her laughter at the playful teasing before her, her hand still resting against Emma's side.

 

Mary Margaret huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know I hate it when you say that."

 

"Oh. I know." David winked at Regina. "Welcome to our home, Regina. Come on. Let's get you settled."

 

Finally releasing from her companion, Regina stepped forward. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me." Mary Margaret had taken the opportunity and grabbed Emma by the shoulder, whispering furiously at her. "Ignore my wife. She's just upset that Emma didn't send word ahead."

 

Regina glanced over at her companion, a growingly comfortable warmth spreading through her chest as she watched her speak to her mother with an indulgent smile. "I'm picking up that this is a habit of hers."

 

David laughed. With a raised hand, he gestured to the car for the waiting attendants to handle their belongings. With a wide swept arm, he led Regina into the house.

 

The first thing she noticed, as obviously designed, was the large fountain in the foyer. In the center sat a pristine marble swan, it's elegant neck curved to allow its head to angle downward. The marble floors clacked beneath her low heeled boots as she followed her host. "Would you care for some tea? The journey from the East is rather long."

 

"True. I'd love some."

 

Ensconced in a broadly airy drawing room, Regina was soon sipping at a fine blended tea. Scant breaths later, Emma and her mother entered.

 

"No, it was obvious from the start that it was Cyrano writing the letters! Roxane let herself be fooled, she knew damned well who it was that loved her!"

 

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Of course she didn't! How could she possibly know, he never told her! Those letters were from her husband!"

 

"In another man's hand! Christian was barely literate!"

 

David leaned forward, murmuring conspiratorially. "You should hear their arguments about the Duchess of Malfi."

 

Mary Margaret sighed and flopped next to her husband, draping herself over the couch in an exaggerated faint. "David, you raised a child with no romance in her soul."

 

David patted her knee before nudging her upright to hand her a cup of tea. "Yes, dear."

 

Regina shook her head, her smile hiding behind her teacup. "I'm rather fond of her plain speaking."

 

Mary Margaret pointed at their guest, her stern gaze on her daughter who remained standing near the end of the couch which held her parents. "Never let this one go."

 

Emma laughed shortly. "That may be harder than it seems." She raised at eyebrow at Regina, who gestured for her to continue. "Two vaguely credible threats have been brought against her this week."

 

Mary Margaret leaned forward, her playfulness dropping away. "Both Eastern, I assume."

 

"Yes." Regina set down her cup of tea, leaning back into her chair as she spoke. "I'm not sure if you've heard of the burglary at my security firm on Monday last?" A single nod from her audience had her continuing. "My personal itinerary was stolen. It was why I moved up my travel plans to visit you." Her fingers spread against the fine fabric of the chair in which she was ensconced. "I've been able to confirm that both of those who have threatened me have received these plans."

 

Mary Margaret turned her head to level a measured look at her daughter. Emma returned it impassively.

 

"I believe these threats will subside shortly."

 

Shrewd green eyes returned to meet Regina's. "The Puppetmaster."

 

Regina gestured toward Emma. Emma shifted on her feet before moving to lean against Regina's chair. Her parents waited, long since used to the measured reticence that accompanied their daughter's true feelings. "He has proved himself to be a credible threat against Regina." Emma's fist clenched at her side. "So I have removed him."

 

Emma's quiet words did more to unsettle Regina regarding her safety than all the reports Graham had provided her. The calm import with which they were intoned and the clenched fist at Emma's side betrayed much of just what Emma was thinking.

 

Mary Margaret turned her her husband, her fingers touching his knee. "I take it back, she's plenty romantic."

 

They laughed, the tension releasing. Emma's soft chuckles did much to assuage Regina's anxiety, allowing them to discuss further exactly what was behind the headlines that splashed across all the papers regarding the Puppetmaster's fall from grace.

 

After their discussion, the suggestion was raised - rather pointedly by Mary Margaret - that they take a ride around the grounds before dinner. Emma's rushed agreement stymied Regina. While she loved to ride, she would also prefer to take some time to soak in a bath. In short order, Emma had rushed them to the stables.

 

"Ho, Wallace!"

 

Regina stood impatiently, her foot tapping at the dirt floor. "Is there some reason you're in a rush to get me away from the house?"

 

Emma glanced at her, a flush coating her cheeks. "I'd rather not be in the house when they're...doing...things."

 

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You're still embarrassed by your parents having sex even though you're living proof that they have?"

 

Emma raised a finger. "I was created fully formed from the aether and my parents do not have sex."

 

"Your powers of denial would be adorable if they weren't so obstinate."

 

"You say the sweetest things." Emma grinned, her flush dissipating. "Come on, let me show you the estate."

 

They rode across the gently rolling hills of the estate, the broad lawn giving way to dense forest with a clear trail cut through. The feel of a powerful animal between her thighs did much to settle Regina's mind. The earlier discussion of the threats against her life did nothing to assuage the low level uneasiness that had continued to plague her at intervals. It seemed it only truly fled when Emma pulled her into an embrace. She huffed at herself, lifting a low hanging branch away from her face as they passed.

 

If being near Emma didn't feel as good as it did, the entire situation would be considerably more unsettling than it was.

 

After about an hour, they had looped back toward the stables. The rest of the mounts were out for afternoon exercises in the paddock, enjoying some time stretching their legs. Regina smiled at the sight, pleased to see the care with which the animals were treated. It was always a good sign to see such things.

 

Emma waved to the grooms and stablemaster as they rode past, too far for her to shout effectively. Muffled by distance, their dim shouts made for a pleasant backdrop to the end of their ride. They dismounted next to the entrance of the stables, Emma leading the way. The taut fabric of Emma's trousers stretched pleasantly over her backside and Regina was not above some blatant appreciation.

 

She opened the stall door, ready to lead her borrowed mount in. Emma grunted in the next stall over, and Regina turned her head, curious as to what would draw such a sound forth.

 

She completely missed the lurking figure that emerged from the stall and leapt for her.

 

"Emma!"

 

She was only able to release a single cry as the reins were dropped from her hand. Startled by the sudden motion, her borrowed mount lashed out, checking her into the broad wood of the stall door before bolting. Her assailant followed her down, a flash of silver arcing through the air and slashing down toward her face. Dazed from the impact against the door, she raised her hands in hope to stymie the impending assault.

 

A single lash of burning impacted against her forearm, as the dagger embedded in her flesh. Her assailant sought to tug the knife free forcibly, a meaty hand yanking at the impaled weapon and sending fiery pain through Regina's arm. An unbidden scream tore from her throat as the flesh of her arm was torn open into a gaping maw.

 

Two pale hands reached around from behind her assailant and grasped chin and forehead before abruptly jerking to the side in a single clean motion. The full weight of her assailant started to crumple atop her, eliciting a grunt from Regina, before it disappeared entirely, flung to the side by her savior. She clasped at the knife embedded in her arm, the blood soaking through her light shirt and rendering her grasp into a slippery simulacrum of stability.

 

"Regina!" A lungful of manure and straw laden air was drawn and Regina was staring up into Emma's worried face. The body of her assailant lay next to her, his neck at odd angle. "Fuck." Emma's brow knitted as she stared at the knife protruding from Regina's arm. "Did he hit you anywhere else?"

 

"No." Regina's teeth gritted against the increasingly insistent pain. It itched along her entire being, focused on her forearm. The struggle to remove the knife had opened the wound, the knife held steady only by her own difficult grip upon it. Every breath shifted it within her flesh, lancing through her with demanding selfishness. One more tug from her assailant and it would have slid free entirely. Dark blood flowed in a lazy trickle from her arm, soaking through the front of her shirt. She kept her arm and the knife as still as possible in effort to staunch the blood that seeped into her clothing, casting deep burgundy rivulets against the light material of her shirt.

 

"Emma?!" A panicked voice sounded from the large doorway.

 

"Wallace! Keep the others out. There's been an attack." A single shrewd gaze from the stablemaster took in the full breadth of the sight before him and he nodded, turning and barking orders to the trailing grooms that had followed him. Emma dismissed the interruption and returned her attention to the injured woman before her. "I'm going to carry you back to the house."

 

Regina nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Emma reached beneath her and hefted the woman into her arms, cradling her and attempting to minimize the jostling of her injured arm. Softly hissed curses betrayed her failure. Thankfully, it wasn't far from the stables to the back of the house, though she could feel the slowly growing dampness against her torso where Regina's blood siphoned away from her body with each hurried step. A groom darted out of the house before her, almost tripping over his feet at the bloodied sight before him. Turning back to the house, he hollered for additional help, handily announcing their arrival.

 

"Clear the way!" Emma's bellow immediately sent those before her skittering to the sides to create a hole for their passage. Carefully ducking through the wide doorway into the morning room, Emma spotted one of her mother's favorite low flung couches. As carefully as possible, she deposited Regina there, carefully sliding her onto the cushions and lifting her feet to allow her to recline. Regina's breathing was shallow and her cheeks had paled considerably. Emma swore softly reaching up to pat against Regina's cheek. "Stay with me, sweetheart. Come on, just a little longer."

 

Turning, she pointed at the nearest servant. As she opened her mouth, she was interrupted by the skidding arrival of the very person she was about to demand. The stout bespectacled doctor bustled to her side, evaluating the situation with a glance and barking out orders to the stunned servants. In a glance, he knew better than to demand that Emma leave, merely pointing toward Regina's head. "Sit there. You're going to help."

 

Nodding, Emma took her position. Clean water and cloths were quickly brought forward, ready to be draped to allow Doc a clean operating venue. A low table appeared, and Doc had Emma assist with placing Regina's arm, supported by rolled towels to hold it fast. Glancing at his patient, he growled at Emma. "Keep her with us."

 

Emma turned her attention back to Regina's pallid features, the pale cast of her skin sending chills through her. Stepping the scant distance to press her hand against Regina's head, Emma grumbled. "I know damned well you can hear me, Mills, wake the fuck up." Regina's eyes fluttered and she sent a weak glare at Emma.

 

"I'm injured, not dead, Miss Swan." Tremulous as it was, her admonition retained the strength of will that had drawn Emma to the prickly woman in the first place.

 

"Could have fooled me, you stubborn ass." Emma brushed a few sweat dampened strands of Regina's hair away from her eyes. "If you wanted a private dinner, you could have just asked."

 

"What, and miss this excitement?" Regina winced before glaring at the doctor. "Couldn't you have found a doctor and not a butcher?"

 

Emma laughed breathlessly, glancing at Doc. He'd removed the knife and was rinsing the wound, muttering quietly to himself as rivulets of deeply blackened blood flowed from the depths of Regina's arm. A particularly nasty looking clot flowed freely over the tanned skin and rested against the towels before being grasped and flung aside with further muttering. Emma watched as he gently wiped away the bulk of the thinned blood before nodding to himself. "Nah, figured you'd appreciate a butcher better. Make you feel more at home."

 

"Ass."

 

"If I weren't an ass, you wouldn't have looked at me twice."

 

"Twice, yes. Mostly to see if your ass made up for the bullshit you spew." Regina scowled as Doc began a series of deft stitches to draw her skin back together. "My head hurts."

 

"I'm not surprised, you left a damned dent in the stable." Emma's thumb traced a gentle line against Regina's sweat dampened forehead. Each prick of the needle into her flesh seemed to force more from Regina's frame.

 

"That was Tweedledum."

 

"John."

 

Regina frowned. "What?"

 

"He was one of the best the Puppetmaster had to offer."

 

Regina squinted at Emma, her hair being brushed back from her face by Emma's continued touch. "Was?"

 

"Unless zombies are real, he's very much so been outsourced to dead."

 

Regina smiled grimly. "Good." She winced and glared at Doc. "Do you mind! That is my arm you're working on there, I still have to be able to use it eventually!"

 

Doc didn't spare a glance up from his continued stitching. "You'll be able to in about a month." His fingers were stained heavily with the dark seeping blood that continued to weep from her arm as he manipulated his forceps in her wound. "Missed most everything important, thankfully. You'll be right again once you're healed up." He glanced briefly to the side. "Bring out another pack of the catgut, with the big two on it. Prep the cutting needle."

 

In the doorway, Mary Margaret watched as Regina was tended to. Emma's head bent close to her companion, murmuring quietly as her hand moved in gentle caress of dark hair. She gestured to a servant and murmured quiet directions.

 

After entirely far too long for Emma's taste, a long clean cloth was being wrapped around Regina's forearm. Doc was grousing in his usual fashion, admonishing her to watch for any oddities other than the usual seepage and to allow it to rest as much as possible. Reluctantly, and only after a stern glare from Emma, she agreed to wear the sling. Doc's final command was for her to eat something, as he wouldn't have his hard work ruined because she fainted from hunger. Emma stifled a laugh.

 

A soft touch brushed Emma's shoulder and she looked up to meet her mother's inscrutable gaze. "I'll have a tray sent up for you two to your room." Mary Margaret cast a critical eye over her daughter. "I would also recommend a bath."

 

Doc grumbled under his breath about damned fool patients.

 

"Thanks, mom." Emma smile was strained. The pressure of the day was coming to bear on her.

 

"We've set up a perimeter. Blue protocol."

 

Emma raised an eyebrow at the extreme security. "I'll stand down then."

 

Mary Margaret squeezed her daughter's shoulder. "You're in charge of making sure she gets better."

 

"She is right here." Regina's dark lashes looked darker against her sallow cheeks. One eye cracked open to meet Mary Margaret's. "Do you greet all your guests this way?" Weak though it was, Regina's wry humor still shone through.

 

"Only the ones foolish enough to want to do business with me." She leaned down, her hand pressing against Regina's knee with a comforting gesture. "Go rest. We can talk business another time, once we've cleaned this up." With a sigh she straightened. "Emma, be ready to give your statement to Ruby."

 

Emma winced. "Yes, mother." Her attention was immediately diverted as Regina pulled herself up to sit. She refused to look past the end of her knees as the full breadth of how many towels and cloths were soaked and stained with her blood came to the bore.

 

"Emma." The implicit order in Regina's tone was easily understood, Emma coming to slide a hand beneath Regina's good arm. As she helped her companion to stand, she glanced around the room.

 

"Send someone 'round in half an hour for the rest of these." Emma gestured to their dirtied clothing.

 

A servant stepped forward, her eyes bright and demeanor determined. "Yes'm. We'll see to it."

 

"Thank you." Regina sent a grateful smile the girl's way and they began their trek to the bedroom.

 

Regina spent much of the journey leaning heavily against Emma. As they reached the door, her weight was almost fully supported by her companion and she was fighting against the lure of sleep.

 

"Just a little farther." Emma murmured against Regina's hair as she shoved the door open with a grunt. Her reserves were beginning to hit their limit, fatigue crashing over her and demanding they both sleep for days. "You can do it, sweetheart, come on." They made the final push and Regina collapsed onto the bed, her good arm propping her up in a seated position.

 

Emma quickly shut the door and returned. She murmured quietly, half to keep herself awake and half to keep Regina with her just a little longer. In short order, Regina's boots and socks were removed.

 

"Let's get you clean and then we can pass out." A soft knock sounded at the door. "Enter." A young servant entered with a tray. Emma stared for a brief moment before remembering that they'd been admonished to eat something. "Thank you."

 

"Of course, miss. Shall I run the bath for you?"

 

"Please." Emma shot a grateful smile at the girl.

 

Regina raised her head, sniffing at the air. Her gaze zeroed in on the tray and she nudged at Emma. She licked her lips, intent on demanding food but the low growl of her stomach beat her to it.

 

Emma chuckled softly and toed her boots off. "Let's get you fed."

 

The tray of finger foods and rich broth had half disappeared when the young servant reappeared to announce their bath was ready. Emma smiled at the girl and requested that she wait outside until called so their soiled clothing could be taken away and cleaned.

 

Regina sipped at the broth, her hunger assuaged. Though still deeply tired, she felt considerably better. She only wished to sleep for two days, rather than the week she had felt like doing previously. "You're very good with them."

 

"With who, Ava? She grew up here." Emma shrugged and reached down to remove her socks. "They're all good people." Her brow furrowed as she began to pull her shirt over her head, her eyes closing as the crusted blood met her fingers.

 

"You'll have to explain what Blue protocol is." Regina was content to sit and watch the utilitarian undressing before her as she finished her broth.

 

"Mmm. Suffice to say its a defense perimeter a gnat couldn't get through. Normal protocol is considerably more relaxed." Emma glanced over at Regina's arm. Her jaw tightened. "Obviously."

 

Regina glanced down at her arm. "You didn't know he was there."

 

"I should have." She undid her trousers, the waistband hanging loose around her hips as she stepped toward Regina. "Can I help you get those off?"

 

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."

 

Emma sighed and examined the partially unbuttoned shirt. "I'm going to have to cut it off."

 

"I can get another." Emma nodded and retrieved a pair of shears. The cool metal pressed flush against Regina's collarbone as Emma gently cut along the shoulder line of the ruined shirt. Regina watched the intent concentration that furrowed her companion's brow. A fleck of blood dotted her cheek. She murmured softly. "You're avoiding the subject."

 

"What, that my lack of attention got you hurt?" Emma snipped one final time and pulled the cloth free of Regina's injured arm before beginning to unbutton the light cloth. "That by my fuck up, your life is considerably more complicated than it already was? What subject am I avoiding, Regina?"

 

Regina halted her with a chilled palm against her face, her fingers gently caressing the skin until she cupped the face before her. "He wanted to kill me and didn't. Because you were there." Emma's mouth opened to speak further and Regina pressed a finger against her lips to halt her protestation. Troubled green eyes frowned at her, so close she could see the variegated shades in their depths. "Take your guilt and do something useful with it. I don't want it. I am grateful you were there." Regina's gaze dropped, following her thumb as she traced it along the line of Emma's lips. "I want you there as long as you're willing to be there."

 

Emma pressed a kiss to the pad of Regina's thumb. "This is going to make everything a lot more complicated."

 

Regina smirked, her hand sliding around to rest against Emma's bare shoulder. "Maybe you already have."

 

Emma laughed softly, her lips rising into a lopsided smile. "Maybe you should get a different bodyguard."

 

With a low growl, Regina dug her nails into the nape of Emma's neck. "Shut up, you idiot." She pressed forward and met Emma's lips with her own, demanding and giving in the same breath. Too exhausted to do more than imprint the truth of her words, Regina gentled her kiss almost as soon as it started, her hand sliding down to curve around the line of Emma's shoulder. The warm skin beneath her fingertips made a slow, pleasant heat begin to build in her chest, chasing away the persistent chill that haunted her bones.

 

Emma pressed soft kisses to Regina's jawline and softly murmured, "Come on, Mills, lets get you clean."

 

"If you keep calling me Mills, I'm going to ruin you."

 

Emma leaned in, her hands finishing the short work of unbuttoning Regina's shirt. "What, like you did when you did that thing with your tongue?"

 

Regina bit her lip and shrugged her shirt free of her good arm. "Not fair."

 

"When have I ever been fair?" Emma leaned over and shimmied her trousers off, allowing them to fall to the floor. Regina stared unabashedly. "My eyes are up here."

 

"Yes, and that which I wish to see is down there."

 

Emma shook her head, laughing softly. "Can you stand?"

 

With a deep breath, Regina pushed herself up from the bed. Immediately feeling weaker, she reached for Emma and was caught in a pair of deceptively strong arms. "Apparently, I still need help with that."

 

"Mmm. Lets get you into that batch as quick as possible, then."

 

It was almost alarming how quickly Emma was able to divest them of the rest of their clothing. Regina appreciated the depth of intimacy that came with being pressed against Emma in this state. It was similarly intricate, blossoming in her chest with an insidiousness that she could all too easily become addicted to. They settled comfortably into the large tub, submerging their bodies into the deliciously heated bath.

 

It touched something deep within her as Emma wiped the days grime from their bodies, her touch gentle and reverent. Each caress seemed a beatification that declared to her the true depths of Emma's sworn devotion. She felt delectably clean, her entire body worshiped in the best way as she relaxed against Emma's chest. The soft caress of Emma's touch against her stomach had her releasing the final tension of her ordeal and she sighed in contentment.

 

A niggling thought emerged from the depths of her mind. "Emma?"

 

"Mmm?"

 

"The Puppetmaster has been taken care of."

 

"Mmhmm."

 

"What are we going to do about Robin?"

 

Emma nuzzled against the side of her neck, pressing a soft kiss to the skin there. "You could completely fuck up his life and be with me."

 

Regina laughed softly, reaching back and lightly smacking at Emma's shoulder. "Your mother was right. You are an unromantic lout." She settled back more comfortably into Emma's embrace. "If you ever tell her I said that, I will deny it to my dying breath."

 

Emma's soft laughter brought with it a quiet declaration. "As you say, my queen."


End file.
